Melissa S

Hmm... so THAT didnt work.. Lemme try again.. HAHA!!

Hello allll.. I went for my first gown fitting and I have some pics!! So my fellow May bandsters will be the FIRST to see!! <center> <a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/crazylittlem/dress003.jpg" target="_blank"> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/crazylittlem/th_dress003.jpg"></a> <a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/crazylittlem/dress004.jpg" target="_blank"> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/crazylittlem/th_dress004.jpg"></a> <a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/crazylittlem/dress002.jpg" target="_blank"> <img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v334/crazylittlem/th_dress002.jpg"></a> </center>

I started my period 2 days before my clear liquid 48 hour preop diet... once the clear liquids started I had NO energy and almost passed out. It wasnt fun!! And I wasnt nice!!! Hang in there... it will pass!!

I'm back from the gym... 17 minutes on the elliptical..no stopping!! WHOO HOO!!!!! :whoo:

Cindy- YES! It feels great!! Before (couple years back) when I tried to do the elliptical I couldn't get further than 2 minutes ... I'm shooting for somewhere between 15-20 minutes today... I'm off to the gym now.. I'll let you guys know how it went when I come back!!

Weazer- I put my Beans in the microwave for about 30 seconds... stir it.. then throw the sprinkle of cheddar cheese on top and microwave for about another 30 seconds. I've done the pan heating thing and yes, it does make a mess!

Thank you! I'm gonna attempt the elliptical again today after my lunch (early lunch) settles. Lunch today was FF refried beans topped with hot sauce, a sprinkle of cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato.. and of course a dollop of low fat sour cream. Yummy and very filling.

I just got back from the gym..and I'm proud of myself.. I did 15 minutes on the elliptical without stopping!! I'm a treadmill or bike type of gal... couldnt ever do the elliptical until today!!!

...HAHA!! ... the pile of you... thats SO FUNNY!!

Sandra- Dont ya just LOVE that they leave all the big decision making up to us?!?!?!?

Cindy.. Awesome for you on that NSV!!! I tried on some clothing also... at Target..and I couldn't get ANYTHING to fit right.. so I just gave up! I was so disapointed. But like my fiance said.. I've been doing great and losing alot and I'm still losing...

I read this earlier and almost peed myself laughing... I just HAD to share... "Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom to understand my man; Love to forgive him; and Patience for his moods, Because, Lord, if I pray for Strength, I'll beat him to death. AMEN "

Cindy- That is exactly what I was thinking. We ARE all doing GREAT..and need to stop being so harsh on ourselves. We are working hard and have completely turned our lives around. Over last weekend I could have made better choices... and like Sandra I had fries AND mozzarella sticks...but rather than having a whole serving I had 2 mozzarella sticks and maybe 2 fries (steak fries).... preband... there would have been NO fries or mozzarella sticks left!!!

What we ALL have to remember is this... we got this band to HELP us lose weight..it is a TOOL to help us feel full and satisfied after a reasonable amount of food. meaning that.... We can have a cookie (not a half of a bag) if we want, we can have a scoop of ice cream (not a half gallon), a slice of pizza (not a half of a pie) if we want, and while a handful of chips (not a bag) may not have satisfied us before..it should now. We should not be depriving ourselves of our wants and needs. I know I would sit down with a huge cup of milk and a bag of oreos and go to town on them... now I may have 1 or 2 and not want another one for months. I look at it this way... I separated myself from the world before because of feeling overweight and out of place... I dont want to separate myself from the world now because I can not have a treat from time to time.

The scale jumped up 2lbs this morning ... GRRRR!!!!!

Thats awesome! I cant wait to hit the 50 lb mark... its just around the corner... hopefully within the next month.

I FINALLY got out to the gym yesterday for about an hour (cardio and resistance).. AND the fiance went with me!! I darn near died of shock when he said he'd go! We are gonna start going to a yoga class thats held every Wednesday night there... that should be fun. Yesterday I resisted the urge to eat pizza for lunch. Work ordered pizza for the entire dept... which I declined and ate my cottage cheese and yogurt with kashi granola... half because I was down 2lbs yesterday morning.. half because I didnt want an embarrassing PB session at work!!

Sandra.. I've had irregular periods since being banded... the first month I was about 4 days late, 2nd month (and back on the pill) I was 3 days late, last month I hardly had a period. I've heard the anesthesia and weightloss can both make periods irregular. Give it a couple more days, then maybe call your OBGYN.

Ragdoll- you've figured me out! HA! I've been staying active... but not "working out" ... the past 2 days I have been riding my stationary bike in the morning though... so hopefully that'll get things moving again! I know what you guys are going through with the kid withdraw.. when Jordan (my daughter) was in DC for a week I was so depressed...and I couldnt wait to have her home.... remember the days when we used to BEG for a break... when we would LOVE not to have to get up at the crack of dawn.. bottle feedings and to change diapers.... now we dont want them out of our sight!!

Wenjea- It seems as if no matter what I do I'm stuck... I've tried backing down and doing more shakes and increasing my calories a bit and noting... I'm just getting frustrated at this point.

Thank you Cindy... and you're right.. the schedule will work out better for me.. being at my daughter's games means alot to both her and I... And after looking in the fridge for about 10 minutes... I chose about 2/3 cup of low fat cottage cheese, 3 or 4 mini carrots with hummus.

...and now my stomach is GROWLING.. flat out demanding that I feed it... so off I go... GOOD CHOICES GOOD CHOICES GOOD CHOICES!!!!!!!

I've updated my signature with a new mini goal...BMI of 39.9 (which would be 218 for me) and no longer morbidly obese. I'd still love to hit my old mini goal of 199 before our wedding... Right now I just wanna see the 220's!!! The scale hasn't budged in a week but I am SUPER restricted. I took a quick bite of my daughter's chicken last night to make sure it tasted right..and got stuck. I've been doing a protein shake every morning for the past 2 weeks and this morning I jumped on the bike to ride for 20 min.. I'm gonna do a little with the hand weights later.

a few of them can be done within hours... but only at the Dr's request (and insurance approval)...24 hours for most... 48 hours tops for the others.